Meet Morgan Lester | Owner of Unofficial Pictures LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Morgan Lester and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Morgan, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
To be very succinct, here’s a rundown of daily and big picture habits that I directly attribute to my success:

DAILY HABITS
Just a note that not a single one of these come naturally to me. In many past dealings, in fact, I have resisted these habits at all cost.

1. Exercise first thing. This habit is truly my Everest and stepping outside first thing in the morning to tackle my Everest immediately lays a foundation to feel accomplished, energized and mentally at peace. I must emphasize how much of a battle it can be to put on my running shoes and go for it. Therefore, I use little tricks like deciding my favorite coffee shop is the finish line; telling myself ‘Fine, just run to the corner and reassess if you hate it so much’; and doing weird high knees and jumps to mix up the monotony. And, it has to be the morning. It sets up my whole day.

2. Be social. I love to hermit y’all. It’s safe and cozy in the quiet solitude of aloneness. But Phil Stutz said it — being social is our life force. I text a friend or two. I make a plan for a coffee date later in the week (and keep it). I don’t count socials and DMs. Work and business and goals cannot be anyone’s entire existence if they want to be successful.

3. Free thinking space. No TV, phone, music. For me, this is usually an activity that engages my hands. Gardening my little plants. Working on my miniature cardboard house (don’t ask). Cleaning up a room… many good ideas have found me while I vacuum up dust. On a really busy day, I set a 20 minute timer and check the box.

BIG PICTURE HABITS

1. Innovation. Being willing and actively trying to implement positive change based on feedback. I’ve worked with a lot of people who resist change and feel safest with the “this is how we’ve always done it” philosophy much to their detriment. Sometimes this means re-editing or revising something that’s had a lot of work on it — which sucks. Sometimes it means saying a big, scary “No.” to something because it doesn’t align with your new process or path.

2. Productivity. I genuinely check-in with myself on when I am and am not feeling productive. Rather than tapping into endurance, I try to maximize my most productive hours and yield the rest of my time to other activities. That said, when my company, Unofficial Pictures LLC, is on a contract and must maintain effort for 10 – 12 hour days, we find motivation in value-based pricing. We might grind for a week or two but will receive an appropriate payday for our efforts.

3. Learning. I call it ‘topic of the month.’ I don’t limit myself to one per month, it just sounded catchy. Sometimes I’m practicing ASL or diving deeper than usual into a topic. And, of course, sometimes I’m learning a new skill directly related to my business. Continuing to stretch into new areas keeps me malleable and on my toes.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
For this response to make sense I should summate that I’m a stage and screen actor, producer and production company owner. It’s a bit unusual to balance them all but I’m fortunate to do so.

In 2010, I came to LA exclusively to perform. Being a producer, filmmaker, whatever… was nowhere in my purview. Like many actors do, I started working behind the camera, writing little sketches and films, directing little diddies. And, for a long time I told myself that I’d have to let go of acting if I went too far another direction. The thought was paralyzing. I spent too long working in a bar staying 100% focused on performing.

Eventually, I found that working production on indie films was flexible enough to do both. Then, I started day playing on bigger sets — easy jobs with a little more cash and connection. Bit by bit, different behind the camera opportunities popped up where I was still able to work as an actor. Before I knew it, the small jobs on big sets and the big jobs on small sets merged to where I was regularly working in the production office.

In my experience (don’t come for me), I’ve found *almost* no actors in the dark recesses of the PO with bloodshot eyes drinking their 4th cup of coffee and sending their 130th email for the day. As unappealing as it might sound, this job has given me a sense of control and usefulness. And, I’ve cut down to 3 cups of coffee.

The curtain is really pulled back and there are stacks and stacks of things to learn in production. I’m fortunate that I work regularly in the commercial space where I can make a decent living in a finite amount of time — so I don’t have to sacrifice auditions or performances. Though I don’t think this is anything to take praise for, I do think it sets me apart from most. Being in both worlds provides a priceless point of view.

With the clarity and perspective my work experience has provided, it was a no-brainer to form my production company. Since commencement, the team has expanded and we’ve been lucky to work on some really cool stuff. It’s not always easy operating a company with lean framework (i.e. I never aspired to learn the world of payroll but here we are) but it is incredibly satisfying. My favorite part is the sense of control I feel over our destiny. Cheesy, I know! But rewarding.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wish I could acknowledge all the incredible people who have supported and mentored me. Most apt at this point in time would be my partner, Shane Martin, who is a wealth of knowledge and support. And, my crazy talented and hard-working reps at Mills Kaplan Entertainment: Ryan Glasgow and Alan Mills. These two push me to new heights and never allow me to settle; and, I’m lucky to be adjacent to all they have and will continue to achieve.

Website: https://unofficialpictures.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unofficialpix/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Morgan_Lester

Image Credits
H.R. Kean, Christian Raices, LOCDFOCUS Productions, Tandem, John Sutton, Kevin Winter